Schedule
Topic: Geographical Data: Sources, Compilation and Processing · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Data - Its Source and Compilation"
Meaning
A schedule is a list of questions, much like a questionnaire. The difference is that a trained enumerator (a person who goes from house to house collecting answers) asks the questions and writes down the replies. Because the respondent does not have to read or write, information can be gathered from literate and illiterate people alike. This gives it wider coverage than a questionnaire.
Example
The Census of India uses schedules. Enumerators visit every household, in cities and in remote villages, ask the set questions, and fill in the forms themselves. This is how they get data from people who cannot read or write.
Don't confuse with
- Questionnaire: a questionnaire is filled in by the respondent, so only literate people can answer it. It can, however, be posted to distant places.